Raptor migration over Korcula island

Some photos of raptors around Korcula were emailed to me recently by Max Cremonini who was bird watching while visited Korcula in August. This is what he said in his email:

Hello, we’re back home after the usual 2 weeks on Korcula island, equally spent between snorkeling in crystal clear waters and observing raptor passage in the hills around Blato and Vela Luka.We found out about this fascinating phenomenon 3 years ago when we noticed flocks of raptors circling above our heads and have been studying it ever since.

The only person I met who knows something about it is my friend Ivan from Prišcapac since he cultivates an olive grove near a forest of Aleppo pines where this birds frequently roost for the night and often sees them take off or land.

Even now that i’m in Italy he keeps updating me with his sightings and just the other he said he had more than a hundred birds right above him…sheer luck!!I’m sending a few pictures for you to see what the whole thing looks like, maybe you can raise awareness on it.

Though a certain number of local raptors can be found on the island at this time of year, between August and September the ones who gather in big numbers like the ones shown in the pics are mainly Honey Buzzards trying to reach Africa via the Gargano Peninsula in Italy. Hope you like them even though they’re not of the highest quality…thanks, max